Here is an excerpt from a CrossFit Journal article in which Coach Greg Glassman tells us the story of how “Fran,” the gal we love to hate, came to be.
“If a hurricane that wreaks havoc on a whole town can be Fran, so can a workout.”
In this video shot at several CrossFit 101 seminars, Coach Greg Glassman talks about the birth of one of CrossFit’s best-known and most challenging workouts: Fran.
As a young athlete, Coach believed training with weights would help him become a better gymnast. When three sets of eight lateral raises with a Ted Williams weightlifting set didn’t replicate the feeling produced by a two-minute routine on the rings or parallel bars, Coach had to get creative. After coming up with and self-testing a workout involving three rounds of 21, 15 and 9 thrusters and pull-ups, Coach promptly threw up—but he knew he had found something that would make him better at his sport.
From there, Coach invited a friend to try the workout (with similar results), and a few decades later the WOD is still challenging CrossFitters around the world.
Click here to watch the video of Coach telling his story in Quicktime, and here for Windows Media Player
Today’s Workout: BIG MONDAY
Let’s start the week off right, team.
Buy-in – Sumo Deadlift (not high pull!) – 5 x 3 reps, working on technique up to a fairly heavy 3
- Setup like a sumo deadlift high pull but with grip just narrower than shoulder width
- Hips BAAAACK but chest up to start, shins vertical
- Squeeze glutes and keep tight lower back throughout
- Slow off floor, accelerate to finish
- See video 1 and video 2
WOD – Dot Com Sat Nov 20
This wod comes from crossfit.com and is an all-rounder. For this workout, I’ve provided the usual scaling options. If you are new to crossfit, or are unfamiliar with any of the movements, scale to Zone 3 or lower.
Check out the scores from some of CrossFit’s best athletes here
Elite – 7 rounds for time of:
- 5 handstand pushups
- 10 deadlifts (135/185)
- 10 ctb pullups
- 20 double unders
Zone 4 – Scale hspu to 1 abmat
Zone 3 – Scale hspu as needed (but must be inverted), scale deadlift to 115/155, regular pullups
Zone 2 – Substitute 10 pushups for hspu, scale rest of workout as needed (deadlift wt, assisted pullups, etc)
Zone 1 – Scale as needed
Cash-Out – Stretch with coach, cheer on your buds
